Electrical outlet plug



Nov. 10, 1964 J. D. MORE ELECTRICAL OUTLET PLUG Filed Aug. 15, 1962 FIG. 5. 1 16.61 43 5 4 32 45 IN VEN TOR.

E Y w .E .D. T W M J United States Patent 3,156,515 ELECTRICAL OUTLET PLUG John D. More, 5105 Rindge Road, La Sierra, Calif. Filed Aug. 13, I962, Ser. No. 216,385 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-159) The present invention relates to an electrical outlet plug or the multiple socket type.

An object of the invention is to provide an outlet plug having electrical conductor strips of identical form, thereby reducing manufacturing expense and minimizing hand operation in the assemblage of the plugs.

A further object is the provision of an electrical outlet plug wherein contact conductor strips are utilized which may be manufactured without scrap or left over.

A further object is the provision of an electrical outlet plug of the multiple socket type wherein the conductor strips are reversible as to position within the plug housing.

A further object is the provision of an electrical outlet plug, of few parts, inexpensive in cost of manufacture and generally superior to electrical outlet plugs now known to the inventor.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the electrical outlet p FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of FIG- URE 1, and on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of FIGURE 1, and on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, and-on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, partially sectional and detached view of the cover and body of the outlet plug, showing means for interlocking the same in working relationship;

FIGURE 6 is a moved position of FIGURE 5, the cover being secured to the body; the figure being on an enlarged scale and taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of an electrical conductor strip used in the practice of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is a view of the conductor strip of FIG- URE 7 turned at right angles to the showing of FIG- URE 7;

FIGURE 9 shows the conductor strip, and contact prong in front elevation;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing the means of connection between the conductor strip and the contact prong; and,

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 11-41 of FIGURE 10.

Referring now to the drawing, the outlet plug of the invention includes a body 1 provided with a cover 2, the body in the present instance being substantially T-shaped in outline. As shown, the body is provided with a skirting wall 3 adapted to house contact strips of a special form, as hereinafter set forth. The form of the body and skirting is such as to provide two substantially parallel spaced apart aligned end walls 4 and 5 and an end wall 6 which is substantially at right angles to the walls 4 and 5 and intermediate said walls. Each end wall is provided with a pair of spaced apart slots or apertures 7 and 8 for end wall 4; 9 and 10 for wall 5; and 11 and 12 for wall 6. Pairs of separator walls are formed in the body adjacent the apertures or slots just mentioned, as shown at 13, 14 and 15. This construction provides cavities at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and

21, formed by the separator walls and the skirting within which cavities the conductor strips are received. It

will be observed that the separator walls in each instance ice merals 22 and 23 for the two parallel side walls and by 24 and 25 for the transverse strips. This construction results in outer slots for each separator wall, taken as an entirety at 26. The interconnecting walls 25 are all provided with a ledge 27, see FIGURES 5 and 6, while the skirting wall bounding the cavity or slot 26 is provided with a flexible transverse finger 28 extending into the slot 26 and adjacent the ledge 27. The cover 2 is provided with a hooked extension 29, on its inner surface, and this hooked extension is received within .the slot 26 for engagement with the ledge 27 and is held in such engagement by the flexible finger 28, as shown in FIG- URE 6. I have thus provided a simple means for locking cover 2 to the body 1 after the plug has been assembled with its conductor strips within the same.

The conductor strips are illustrated as to form in FIGURES 7, 8, and 9. The conductor strips are identically formed preferably from a brass strip. Referring to FIGURE 7, an elongated strip of material is bent to provide three contact prong portions 46, 41 and 42. Between the contact prong portions 40 and 4-1, the strip is offset or structurally twisted at 43 so that the portion 44 is at an angle to the face portions 40 and 41. The angularity may be less than The structural twist results in a U form. The contact portion 40 has an angular end 45. The contact portion 41 terminates in a reversibly folded strip 46 which joins the contact portion 42, the portion 42 ending in an angular part 47. Each contact portion is provided with a dimple indicated generally as 48. The contact portion 41 is punched at 49 and 50 to provide two ears 51 and 52. A contact prong 53 has a slotted end 54 and the ears 51 and 52 are adapted to clamp the prong at the slotted portion, as illustrated in FIGURE 11. The contact prong 53 extends at right angles to the contact portion 41 and when the contact strip is within the body, the prong carried thereby is passed through a slot 55 in the base of the body and extends outwardly from the body for insertion in an electrical outlet. As stated, both contact strips are identically formed and inserted within the confines of the body in the manner shown best in FIG- URE 2 wherein it will be seen that the end 45 in each instance engages the skirting wall adjacent a prong receiving opening such as 9, the contact portion 40 being within cavity 17 and paralleling a wall of the separator walls 14 while the offset or structurally twisted portion 43 lies intermediate the ends of the pairs of separator Walls 13 and 14. The contact portion 41 with its prong is received between the separator walls and the skirting wall in the cavity 20. The contact portion 42 lies adjacent a wall of the separator wall 13 in cavity 21 while the angular end 47 engages the skirting wall adjacent the contact slot 8. Thus, in the assembly the offset or structural twisted portions have the U concavities thereof facing each other. The conductor strip in which the offset portion 43 is adjacent the base of the body, is inserted within the body first while the second conductor strip with the offset portion and particularly the portion 44 faces the cover. Thus no shorting between the strips is possible.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention are as follows.

In actual manufacture of the outlet plug, the conductor strips and prongs are sequentially formed from ribbon stock and cut. The conductor strips are both identical in form and simply reversed as to position of the oifset or structurally twisted portions. Hence, I have provided an economical construct-ion for a multiple plug type electrical outlet and one that is easily assembled by an unskilled operator. After the conductor strips are in position within the body,.the cover may be applied to the body and interlocked therewith by the means shown in V FIGURES 5 and 6 at three points, as shown in FIG- URE 3. The cover and the body are not easily separated after they are interlocked together due to the flexible finger 28 in each instance holding a hook against a ledge. Preferably the conductor strips are formed from what is known as a /2 hard brass and of light ribbon stock. By forming the contact strips in the manner which has been described, there are no scraps left over from ribbon stock and a single machine may be used for forming both the left and the right conductor strips, including the conductor prongs. The dimples 4?.- act to frictionally grip the inserted prongs of a plug.

1 claim:

1. An electrical outlet plug which includes a body having two parallel end walls provided with prong receiving slots and an end wall at substantially right angles to the two parallel end walls and provided with prong receiving slots; the improvement which consists in: a pair of identically formed conductor strips, each conductor strip structurally twisted to provide a concave offset portion between first and second contact portions, the faces of said contact portions being in substantially right angular relationship and extending from one of the parallel end Walls to the end wall at right angles thereto; the second contact portion being reversibly folded and bent to provide a third contact portion, the face of which is substantially in right angular relationship to the first portion of the second contact portion; said third contact portion being in alignment with a prong receiving slot in the other of said parallel end Walls; said ollset portions of the pair of conductor strips crossing with the concavities in facing relationship and out of contact.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, the second contact portion of each conductor strip being punched to provide a pair of cars, and a contact prong provided with a slotted end for receiving said ears to secure the prong to said contact portion, the edges of said second contact portion and the edges of the contact prong being in substantially right angular relationship.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,489,273 Parker Apr. 8, 1924 2,166,453 Wagar July 18, 1939 3,661,716 Benander Oct. 30, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 708,529 Germany July 23, 1941 

1. AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET PLUG WHICH INCLUDES A BODY HAVING TWO PARALLEL END WALLS PROVIDED WITH PRONG RECEIVING SLOTS AND AN END WALL AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE TWO PARALLEL END WALLS AND PROVIDED WITH PRONG RECEIVING SLOTS; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS IN: A PAIR OF IDENTICALLY FORMED CONDUCTOR STRIPS, EACH CONDUCTOR STRIP STRUCTURALLY TWISTED TO PROVIDE A CONCAVE OFFSET PORTION BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND CONTACT PORTIONS, THE FACES OF SAID CONTACT PORTIONS BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP AND EXTENDING FROM ONE OF THE PARALLEL END WALLS TO THE END WALL AT RIGHT ANGLES THERETO; THE SECOND CONTACT PORTION BEING REVERSIBLY FOLDED AND BENT TO PROVIDE A THIRD CONTACT PORTION, THE FACE OF WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY IN RIGHT ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP TO THE FIRST PORTION OF THE SECOND CONTACT PORTION; SAID THIRD CONTACT PORTION BEING IN ALIGNMENT WITH A PRONG RECEIVING SLOT IN THE OTHER OF SAID PARALLEL END WALLS; SAID OFFSET PORTIONS OF THE PAIR OF CONDUCTOR STRIPS CROSSING WITH THE CONCAVITIES IN FACING RELATIONSHIP AND OUT OF CONTACT. 